


Please Don't Get Me Fired

by spookalicious



Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: Doctor/Patient, M/M, Mental Hospital, Mental Illness, Schizophrenia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-20
Updated: 2015-03-25
Packaged: 2018-03-18 17:39:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3578181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spookalicious/pseuds/spookalicious
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gerard scurried around his station, trying to sort out the newest patient's paperwork. It wasn't that there was a lot, exactly. He just couldn't make heads or tails out of what the patient's mother had faxed him. He cursed under his breath when he got another copy of Frank Iero's medical records. It wouldn't be long before Frank would be done with his evaluation and ready to be admitted...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. In Which The World Collapses. Again.

**Author's Note:**

> This started as an rp between me and my best friend, Knourish, and it blossomed into this. Enjoy! c:

The January night chill was prevalent in the air outside as Gerard scurried around his station, trying to sort out the newest patient's paperwork. It wasn't that there was _a lot_ , exactly. He just couldn't make heads or tails out of what the patient's mother had faxed him. He cursed under his breath when he got another copy of Frank Iero's medical records. It wouldn't be long before ‘Frank’ would be done with his evaluation and ready to be admitted... He sighed and turned around, leaning on the counter as he stared at his papers, waiting for Mr. Iero to come on back from the evaluation. 

Just at that moment, said patient ran past Gerard's station. He had kicked a nurse down, and was trying to find a way out. He was crying, and clearly freaking out. "I can't be here, I got to go home..." he muttered to himself. “I got to check on my mom, I got to go home." It seemed as though Frank was having a neurological breakdown, as if he didn't know where he was, or why. The nurses had explained it as well as they could, but maybe he just didn't process it correctly. 

He stopped running, panting. A nurse came to him and tried to coax him back to his bed. Frank almost went ballistic on the woman. 

Gerard hurried out of his station, and cautiously approached Frank. He held his hands out, to show he didn't want to hurt the other. He gave a sympathetic smile, trying to calm the other down. 

He knew what the other was going through. It wasn't that many years back that he himself had been a patient at this same hospital. He turned his head to the other nurse beside him. "Did he bring in any comfort items?" His voice was soft, careful. 

The nurse shook her head. "He only came with what he has on him..." She looked around, and backed away from the patient. 

Frank set his eyes on Gerard, and stared at him as they narrowed. "You." He kept his gaze on Gerard as he backed up. "You put me in here. Let me out!" he screamed. 

Gerard shook his head. "Frank, this is our first time meeting. I didn't put you in here." He kept his eyes on Frank's. "I don't get any say on who comes in or out." 

Frank burst into tears, but stayed away from Gerard. "What'd I do? I don't need to be here…" A nurse came and took him back to his bed, he relaxed a bit. Enough to walk back without breaking anything. A moment later, a nurse came to talk to Gerard. "What do you want to do about him? Sedation? Restraints? He knocked Keegan out, sir." 

The brunette shook his head. "He's calm now. If he throws another fit, we can put him in the quiet room and see how that works." He hated sedating patients… "Take care of Keegan for now, and keep me updated on Frank." 

The nurse nodded. "Yes, doctor." She left and went back to work. A few hours went by and Frank stayed calm for the most part, but every time a nurse or doctor entered his room, he screamed, scared. He didn't give any violent outbursts, but he kept crying periodically and screaming "Let me go!" 

Gerard eventually knocked on Frank's door before stepping in cautiously. "May I come in?" He asked, eyes immediately falling on the patient. 

Frank stared him up and down. He wouldn't scream if he didn't touch him. But most of the doctors and nurses tried to touch him. He glared at Gerard. "I assume you're Dr. Way?" He scowled, looking away. "I don't need any more doctors. Or questions. Just let me go home." 

Gerard nodded. "I understand. I really do." He walked around the room, hopping up to sit on Frank's window sill. "I just want to talk, if that's okay with you." 

Frank was quiet, but he didn't refuse. He waited for the doctor to start talking, but kept his eye on him. He looked behind him, out the window, at the dark night sky. He figured Gerard worked the night shift. Which meant he was getting a different doctor in the morning, he assumed. 

Gerard crossed his ankles, swinging his legs a bit. "Can we talk about why you're in here?" He tilted his head to the side, his gaze soft. 

Frank glanced at him, eyes narrowed again. "What do you mean? I had a problem, I dealt with it. I'm fine." He shifted in his bed, facing Gerard, but not in a "I'm comfortable with this" kind of way. More like "I have to do this or you'll give me more drugs" way. 

Gerard nodded. "Alright, well, can you elaborate?" He watched the other's body language carefully. He didn't expect to get anywhere with him on the first day, but it was routine, so he might as well. 

Frank rolled his eyes. "I almost died. So you guys are being thorough, I get it. I almost died, and you want to make sure I'm fine." He sighed, and looked at Gerard, pretending to be truthful. "I'm really okay, Dr. Way. I know some people have bad reactions, but I feel _fine_." He smiled a bit, trying to prove it. "I just don't like people touching me." 

Gerard nodded, and wrote down the results he'd gotten. He was satisfied with himself, thinking the other had been truthful to him. "Thank you for talking to me." He smiled warmly at Frank. "My office is down the hall if you need me at any time throughout the night." He got up, about to leave the room. 

A nurse Frank recognized quickly rushed in the room. "Dr. Way? Could I speak to you, please?" Frank sighed, rolling his eyes. He glared at the nurse, knowing what he was doing. 

Gerard nodded and followed the nurse out of the room, giving Frank a sympathetic glance. 

The nurse quickly explained the situation. "Frank has a history with us, sir. He's been here at least 15 times in the past 2 years." He looked towards Frank. "He's been diagnosed with schizophrenia, for about 5 or 6 years now." The nurse heaved a big sigh. "He does this with everyone. He tells you what you want to hear so he can leave, but he always comes back, violent, rude, and a big liar." He gave Gerard a look that said "hey I'm sorry".

Gerard furrowed his brow. "Has he ever opened up while here? Why isn't he a residential patient?" He shoved his hand into the pocket of his scrubs. 

The nurse sighed. "His mom had a fit when we suggested it. He won't make any decisions for himself and we can't really keep him against his will without a big lawsuit from the mother..." He glanced back at Frank before looking to Gerard again. "He should be a residential, but there's just nothing we can do except admit him every once in a while." 

Frank twiddled his thumbs, waiting for Dr. Way to come back in and tell him he can't leave. He sighed, defeated. Back outside his room, the nurse was explaining Frank's medical history, his medications that he more than likely doesn't take outside of the hospital, and the fact that Frank has never opened up. To anyone. 

Gerard returned into Frank's room, sighing heavily and running his fingers through his hair. He was a bit nervous when the nurse walked away. What if Frank reacted violently to bad news? He perched back up on the windowsill. "Have you been taking your medication, Frank?" 

"E-Excuse me?" Frank tried to act surprised. Maybe Dr. Way would think the nurse was lying. "I don't take any medication..." He played dumb, almost. He thought it'd come off as cute. 

Gerard cocked a brow, straight faced, but still gentle. "You can just say you haven't taken it. I won't bite your head off about it." He shrugged. "But I need to know if you have or haven't." 

Frank just gave him a very confused face, noticing the nurses outside his door. They knew he was lying, but he really hoped Dr. Way didn't. He hoped this wasn't just him agitating the doctor. Again. "I don't know what medication you--” Frank paused. They were back. He looked around nervously. "Get out," he said, looking at Dr. Way. 

Gerard raised a brow, looking at the nurses, before turning back to Frank. "Frank..?" 

"Get out!" Frank yelled at him. He looked around again, biting his lip, nervous. "Leave me alone, dammit..." he whispered to himself. His gaze went back to Gerard, and he almost growled. "Don't fucking stand there. _Get out_." 

Gerard left the room, more than unsure of what to do. He looked to one of the nurses, as if silently asking them what was going on. 

The nurses all shook their heads and went about their work. "He just... He does that, sometimes. His disorder acts up, and he doesn't want anyone around," one of them explained. They turned and walked away. Frank just shook in his bed, listening to the voices, wanting to claw his ears off and out. 

Eventually, Frank passed out. His room turned quiet, as opposed to his incessant mumbling. He snored very quietly. He could only be heard if someone was in the room with him. He sighed in his sleep and turned a bit, trying to get comfy. 

Gerard, however, couldn't just go back to work and ignore his patient. He went to his station, grabbing the paperwork he needed to work on, and returned to Frank's doorway, sitting on the floor next to it and getting to work. 

When Frank got quiet, Gerard frowned, concerned, and peeked inside. Seeing that his patient was asleep, Gerard smiled and stood, going to the other patients he needed to check on. 

Frank stayed asleep for most of the night, and in the morning, about 5am, he woke up. He looked around, yawning. "Shit..." 

Gerard yawned, his shift not ending for another hour. He sat in his station at the end of the hall, making sure no patients left their rooms to sneak into other patient's rooms. He wasn't doing much since almost all of them were asleep. It was nice to get a bit of relaxing time. 

Frank stood, stretching. He walked to his door, looking down the hall. He saw his doctor, but ignored him. He waltzed down the hall to a vending machine, before realizing he didn't have his wallet. He sighed quietly. 

Gerard looked up, noticing Frank walking around. He kept a close eye on him, but didn't stare. He figured the other wouldn't try to sneak into any rooms. 

He walked back down the hall towards Gerard. "Any chance I'm getting out of here today?" he asked. He slumped over at the station, next to him. "Cause if not, I'm going to stay in my room all day. I won't eat, I won't sleep tonight, and I won't do anything but lay there quietly. I won't even speak." He raised his eyebrows, watching the doctor. 

Gerard raised a brow. "I'm not in charge of whether you can and can't leave. When my boss tells me you can go, I'll tell you." He gave a smile. "Until then-" He looked around, making sure his coworkers weren't around. "Here. I'm sure it'll be better than the cafeteria food." The doctor handed Frank half of his cookie- still warm and chewy. 

Frank looked at Gerard incredulously. "A cookie?" He took it, and even took a small bite. "It is better than the cafeteria food..." he trailed off. He looked back up at Gerard, taking a deep breath. "You leave soon, huh?" He looked at the clock. "New doctors come in at about ten 'till six. So I'm assuming that's when you get off?" He hasn't realized that he was giving away so much information by talking about the hospital. 

Gerard nodded. "I leave about five minutes after everyone from the next shift has clocked in, so about five past six." He cracked his knuckles. 

Frank raised his eyebrows. "Trying to be tough, huh?" He giggled a bit. It was very rare that Frank acted so... Normally. He never noticed it, but his mom sure enjoyed it. He ate the cookie quietly. "You must be exhausted. Hope you sleep well, when you get home." 

Gerard chuckled at the other's comment, and then smiled at his kindness. "Thank you, I'll try." He leaned in closer, with a smile. "I really hope you begin to get better- you deserve it." 

"Will I ever get to see your fancy doctor house?" Frank flirted a bit, jokingly. "Doctors are supposed to be super rich, right?" He wiped the cookie crumbs off the counter and smiled softly at Gerard. "I'm fine, really. I just have spouts of 'not fine'..." He looked away. 

Gerard sighed through his nose, still smiling sympathetically. "Well I hope I can help make those "not fine" moments go away..." He laughed softly. "And I just live in an apartment- no house for me." 

"I've had 'not fine' moments for years. I don't think they're going anywhere." Frank sadly looked down, but tried to ignore it. He smiled at Gerard, though. "I better go back to bed before the nurses come do their head count for the morning..." He waved bye before heading back to his room, sighing heavily. 

Gerard wave goodbye as well, and finished his snack. When it was time for him to clock out, he sighed heavily. The walk home was short, but to someone as sleepy as him, it felt like years before he finally made it to his apartment and passed out for the day. 


	2. In Which Frank Is A Bit Of An Ass.

Frank was troublesome all throughout the next day to the doctors and nurses. He fought with other patients, closed his door, and wandered around the hospital unsupervised. By that evening, most of the staff was angry and irritated by him. He just giggled as they walked him back to his room for the evening head count. 

When Gerard showed up for his next shift, he went through his routine- asking his patients how they felt, and if they felt suicidal or homicidal in any way, and sending them to bed at exactly 10pm. He finally relaxed in his station, and yawned tiredly. 

Frank pretended to sleep until he was sure no one was around. He stood, and went to his doorway, closing it. He wasn't supposed to, but he decided to anyway. He went back and laid in his bed, but he wasn't going to sleep. He just laid there, hands behind his back, relaxing. 

Gerard spotted the closing door immediately, and walked over lazily, reopening the door wide. "Frank, doors open, okay?" He spoke as if Frank had just made a mistake. 

Frank rolled his eyes. "Out of my room, boy-o." He stood and went back to the door, pushing Gerard out and shutting the door again. He leaned against it for a moment before heading back to his bed. 

Gerard huffed in frustration. He reopened the door, and crossed his arms, jutting his hip out a bit defensively. "Frank, you know the rules." 

"Yeah, and they're stupid." He stood. "Don't make me come push you out again." Frank copied Gerard's movements almost exactly. 

Gerard bit his lip, still being as warm to Frank as he could. "If you want, you can sit in the dayroom instead. You can shut the door in there." He gave a tiny smile. "Plus, since no one's awake you can watch whatever you want on TV." 

Frank rolled his eyes. "No, I hate the dayroom." He pushed Gerard a little. "Let me close my door, I'll be fine." He tried as hard as he could to shut the door, trying to push Gerard with it. 

Gerard wedged his foot between the frame and the door, wincing a bit when Frank shut the door on his foot. "Frank, you know if I let you do that, I'll lose my job..." He sighed, almost sadly. 

Frank tried to shut the door, still. He groaned. "It's not my job, just... Let me shut it..." 

A nurse around the corner came to Gerard's aid, pushing the door back open. "Frank Iero, if you don't get back in bed this instant, I will call your mother." Frank almost instantly went back to his bed, but he didn't curl up or even act like he was going to go to bed. He glared at the nurse, but stayed put. 

Gerard sighed softly. "..May I come in?" He spoke up as the nurse left. His hands were shoved into his pockets. 

The man on the bed sighed. "I guess so." He pulled his blankets up and over his knees. "Can't really stop you." 

Gerard came in and sat on the edge of the bed. "Want to talk about it or..?" He trailed off. 

"I brought a lunch, we can share it later if you're still awake…" Gerard shuffled his feet almost nervously. 

Frank nodded, wary. "Okay…" He watched Gerard at the edge of his bed. He scooted over, and offered the other side of the bed to the other man. "You can... lay down, if you want. No one'll judge, and if you're worried about your job, I won't say anything..." Frank stopped watching Gerard, looking away. 

Gerard shifted and nodded. "..Alright." He moved and lay beside the other in bed. "What's wrong?" His voice was small, as if he was intimidated- but it wasn't fear in his voice. Just tranquility. 

Frank didn't look at Gerard for a moment. "I... I'm fine. I'm just..." He finally looked at him, eyes almost sad-looking. "I don't know. He mentioned my mom and now, I just... I miss her. But I don't want to worry her." 

Gerard nodded. "I understand. Phone time is at 6pm tomorrow, if you want to call her. I have her number written down in your file…" He met the other's eyes, still chewing on his lip. 

"I can call her..?" He looked into Gerard's eyes. The nurses never told him he could call anyone. He just figured they called her and updated her when they needed to. "I've... I've never called my mom, from here..." Frank looked back down and sighed. "I'm stupid, I'm sorry.” 

Gerard smiled warmly. "Phone time is every day from 6 to 8 o’clock. There is a time limit though- because of all the people wanting to make phone calls. Ten minutes, I think." 

Frank nodded. "I'll... I'll call her, then..." He smiled a bit, and glanced up at Gerard every now and then through his fringe. He rested his head on Gerard's shoulder. "Is this... okay, Dr. Way..?" Frank didn't think about the fact that maybe his doctor had a patient fetish, and he quickly pulled his head up off of his doctor's shoulder. "I'm sorry." 

Gerard shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't necessarily mind. Just don't get me fired." He chuckled softly. 

Frank nodded, understanding. He laid his head back down and closed his eyes. He subconsciously curled closer to Gerard, but he didn't notice. He smiled to himself and ended up falling asleep, but only lightly. If Gerard moved or spoke, he'd wake up, very easily. 

Gerard allowed the physical contact, until he could hear someone coming, which he quickly moved to wake the other up. 

Frank jolted upright, looking at Gerard curiously and surprised. "W-What?" He looked around. "What's wrong?" 

Gerard shushed the other, putting a finger over his mouth, before scurrying out of his room. "Aa- sorry, I was just doing my rounds." He spoke to the fellow doctor nervously, who only looked at him suspiciously and sternly sent him back to his station. 

Frank whimpered a bit as Gerard left. He liked the warmth. He waited to see if he was going to come back, only to be disappointed. To get his attention, Frank stood and went and closed the door, before hurrying back to his previous spot on the bed. 

Gerard puffed out his cheeks a bit, and rushed to Frank's room, opening the door again. "Frank, I'm going to get in trouble... You can come up to my station but I have to stay there..." His voice was quiet and pleading, matching the look in his eyes. 

Frank rolled his eyes, but was somewhat disappointed. "I'll just... Go to bed, I guess." He shrugged, and curled up in his blankets. 

Gerard sighed softly. "I'm sorry… Are you sure you don't want to come sit with me..?" His voice got quieter, a bit more anxious and rushed. "I brought you something…"

Frank looked at him, curious. "What is it?" he questioned. He wasn't one for following strange men for surprises, but Frank felt oddly safe here. He pulled the blankets off and threw his legs off the side of the bed. 

"It's a book and a snack. I don't know if you read much, but I know you like music, so..." He shuffled nervously- he was going to get in trouble, he could feel it…

"Why are you so nervous...?" Frank asked, standing up. He walked over to Gerard, watching him, almost concerned. 

Gerard led the other back to his station. "It's nothing, I just… I'm not much of a rule-breaker, y'know?" He chuckled nervously. 

Frank raised an eyebrow. "You're breaking the rules by bringing me a book?" He scoffed. "I've been brought cigarettes, cakes... They don't care. At least, they didn't before..." 

Gerard shook his head. "They've really cracked down on the rules lately." He handed the book to the other- a biography of a popular musician. 

Frank took the book. "Oh... Cool!" He smiled, and set it aside, looking at Gerard. "Thank you." 

Gerard smiled and handed Frank the juice box and the plastic bag of potato chips. It was definitely much more edible than the old Jell-O the hospital considered a "snack".

Frank took it gratefully, and he mumbled a thanks before chowing down. "You're not so bad, you know. I like you." He had never complimented a doctor before. They had all been total assholes, especially when it came to Frank. 

Gerard shrugged, and offered a chair to the other as he took his own seat, returning to his seemingly endless paperwork. "Well, it wasn't long ago I was in here myself, so I try to be a little more... Human than the other doctors." He chuckled softly. 

Frank raised an eyebrow. "Do tell," he urged the other to explain further. 

Gerard glanced at the other, before smiling down at his papers weakly. "I tried to kill myself. A few times, actually..." His voice trailed off a bit. 

Frank's eyes went wide. "What? Why?" He was genuinely surprised. He could think of any reason why the man in front of him would want to do that. 

Gerard laughed softly. "I don't really remember now, in all honesty. I just remember--" He paused and tapped his pen to his chin, thinking for a bit. "I remember being so sad all the time- like, nonstop. I don’t know, I don't really remember a whole lot from that year..." His voice trailed off, and he kept his eyes on the paperwork, leg bouncing. 

Frank nodded, understanding. "I get it. I've been there." He looked at Gerard and sat in the chair he had offered earlier. 

Gerard nodded. "Mhm. After I got myself treated and feeling better, I remember deciding I wanted to work in mental health- y'know, help people like me and stuff- while I also work on my comics." He smiled up to the other. "Sorry- I'm oversharing, huh..?" 

Frank perked up. "Comics?" He loved comics. "Tell me more about that!" He smiled wide. 

Gerard turned to the other and grinned. "What kind of comics do you like? I write superhero stuff." 

"I love Doom Patrol," he gushed, before blushing. He looked away. "Sorry? I just really like comics." 

Gerard grinned wide. "I have the whole series." He turned to face the other, abandoning his paperwork. 

"Whoa, really?" His grin widened, if that was possible, and he started talking about all his favorite scenes and characters, just gushing completely. He was opening to Gerard, but not about his issues. 

Gerard smiled, and gushed right with him, talking about all the plot lines and subplots. 

A while passed, and Frank realized it was way past midnight. "Oh shit... I should go to bed. Especially before a nurse finds out I've been awake this whole time." He giggled a bit, and waved to Gerard before rushing back to his room for the night. 

Gerard smiled and waved goodbye, before attempting yet again to finish his papers before his shift ended. When 6am finally came, the doctor sighed softly, more than ready to go home, before finding out he'd have to stay longer for some emergency evaluation. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Around 7am, Frank woke up, stretched, and stood, getting off his bed yet again. He went to look around down the hall, wondering where most of the nurses and technicians were. He shrugged and tried to coax a dollar off of one of the newer interns. 

Gerard rushed through Frank's hall with a few nurses in tow. He'd been told he could go home, that his shift was over- but there was another new patient who was incredibly violent and Gerard wanted to do what he could to help, even if it meant losing sleep. 

Frank watched as they raced past him. He watched Gerard carefully, but rolled his eyes and continued talking with the intern. He flirted a bit, trying to get him in trouble. He was feeling mischievous, again. But today, it seemed laced with anger. 

Gerard rushed around the hospital. When he'd nearly tried to work a full 24 hours, his boss finally made him clock out and go home— meaning he wouldn't be showing up for his regular shift that night. 

Frank had irritated all of the staff again, and before Gerard left, he ran into him, out of breath. He had been running away from the technicians, giggling the whole time. The brunette could only laugh as he tried to catch his breath, which, admittedly, made it harder. A group of maybe 4 or 5 techs turned the corner and saw Frank with his doctor, and snickered. Frank pat Gerard on the cheek before getting ready to run again. The techs thought he was getting in trouble. 

Gerard had watched the small event unfold in front of him in confusion. He wasn't sure what was happening, but he was sure he'd get an earful about it when he wasn't so busy. 

Frank giggled and ran off, the techs quickly running after him. One of them stopped by the doctor. "W-Why didn't you stop him? He's been running us around all day," he panted for a moment before running off after the patient. 

The next time Gerard clocked in, it was the day after next, on his regular shift. The doctor looked exhausted, but continued with his work normally. When he eventually spotted Frank, he smiled softly. "I hear you've been making trouble." 

Frank just giggled. "I had to entertain myself _somehow_." He turned around and walked away, making sure Gerard got a good view of his ass. He hoped Gerard would look. He felt especially sexy today, and wanted a comment. He doubted he would get it from his own doctor, but dammit, it was worth trying. 

Gerard shifted uncomfortably. He was well aware of what the other was doing, but he wasn't sure in the least as to how to handle it. "I brought you another snack tonight, so..." Gerard called after his patient. Frank giggled. "Okay, Dr. Way. I'll see you later." He looked over his shoulder and winked, walking away. 

Gerard nodded and headed to his station, passing the time by catching up on his progress notes. He soon got absorbed in it, not noticing what was happening around him. 

Later on, Frank snuck up on the doctor, poking his sides. "Hey there, /Gerard/." He giggled, excited to know his first name. 

Gerard jumped, and raised an eyebrow, offering a chair beside him again. He pulled out a few candies, along with a Nutella sandwich, and slid them toward the patient. "You seem to be in a good mood today." Gerard gave his trademark crooked smile. 

"I got an intern to tell me your first name." He smiled wide. "I feel /great/ today. Ooh, Nutella!" He went to grab the sandwich, but stopped and looked at Gerard. "Wait, is this for me, or...?" He looked at him curiously. 

Gerard nodded. "Mhm. Made it myself," he laughed softly, and returned to his work. He didn't really mind if his patients called him by his first name. In fact, Gerard had some patients in the senior ward that called him Gerard as well. 

Frank smiled widely and quickly shoved part of the sandwich in his mouth. "So good…" he mumbled, chewing. 

Gerard chuckled and soon finished his notes, pulling out his work laptop to transfer the notes digitally. His tired green eyes glanced over to Frank. "Did you take your medicine today? I need it for the record and I know you can slip around the med checks sometimes." 

"My meds? No one's given me any." He shook his head, as if he had no idea what he was talking about. "You know, it gets really lonely, during the day, when I'm in my room. You should visit me if you ever can't sleep." He teased him a bit. 

Gerard bit the inside of his cheek. "Frank, you've tried to refuse your medication three times already... You're prescribed to lithium carbonate and chlorpromazine." He raised an eyebrow. "If you're not taking it, be honest, please." Despite his looking and seeming exhausted, his voice stayed level and quiet. Even when Frank was being exceptionally frustrating. 

The shorter of the two groaned. "Fine, no, I didn't take them." He finished the sandwich and sighed. "You're no fun today," he said, as he turned to walk away. 

Sighing heavily, Gerard leaned back in his chair. "Frankie..." He hadn't even realized he'd called the other the nickname after he said it. "I'm sorry, I'm just tired." He gave a weak smile to his patient. 

He sighed, looking back at him. "It's okay. I get it." He shrugged and headed back to his room, proceeding to lay on his bed. 

Gerard stretched back in his chair before returning to work. He was disappointed that he'd scared his patient off. He stayed at the hospital long after his shift was supposed to end. Despite how tired he was, he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep. 


	3. In Which Violence Occurs

The next night, Frank stayed awake just long enough for every other patient to fall asleep. He waited until the nurses did a head count before getting out of bed, looking down the hall quietly. He noticed a couple of nurses filling out some charts, and he slinked back in his room until he was sure they couldn’t see him. 

Frank waited until he thought the halls were clear, and snuck out of his room. He was going to sneak to the kitchen for the chocolate cake he knew was there. He steered clear of open areas, and stuck to the walls, to the shadows. 

Gerard frowned when he didn't see Frank in his room for the unscheduled second head count. They had dealt with a few issues, with patients running off after the first head count, which is exactly what Frank was doing. He pulled a nurse aside, and asked him, "How has Frank been acting today..?" He kept the deep frown on his face. 

The nurse groaned. "Oh, don't get me started on that kid." He looked in the room. "Where is he?" He looked a little concerned, but shrugged it off, sighing and walking off. “Not on my rounds, sorry.” 

Frank made it to the kitchen and found the cake, almost salivating at the sight. He dug around in a few drawers before returning triumphantly with a fork. He dug in, no knife, no plate, eating the cake directly out of the container. "Mmm..." He almost moaned as he took a bite. "Oh, I love cake…"

Gerard huffed and was immediately in search of his patient. He couldn't look away for more than just a few seconds… He ignored checking the other wards, knowing Frank wasn't much of a social butterfly. Gerard looked around in the cafeteria. "Frank? Are you in here?" 

Frank stopped, mouthful of fork and cake. He looked around, not seeing Gerard. He stayed quiet, though, in case Gerard heard him in the kitchen. 

Gerard looked around, looking under the tables and such, before heading into the kitchen. "Frank? Frankie??" 

Frank hid behind a counter, but the cake was still on the counter, half eaten. He tried to slip it off the counter without being spotted, only to slip and fall himself, causing a loud clatter. "Shit,” he muttered, rubbing his head. 

Gerard jumped at the noise, and scurried into the kitchen, spotting the rather pathetic sight in front of him. He merely put a hand on his chest and sighed. "I'm glad you're safe...” He smiled warmly and offered a hand to help the other up. 

Frank didn't reach to grab Gerard's hand. Instead, he stood warily, watching Gerard. It was then that his eyes went wide and he covered his ears. "Goddammit, no, he's not like that!" He yelled, shutting his eyes tight. He hated that they were talking to him in front of Gerard. They tended to bother him while Gerard was off work, so this was a little embarrassing for him, if he was honest. 

Gerard seem very fazed, still keeping his gaze on the other calmly. He hoped a nurse hadn’t heard Frank yell, but in all honesty, he was terrified. He would never know the suffering that a severely mentally ill person was going through, and to see it happening right in front of him... It took a slight toll on him. 

Frank just slumped back down on the ground, hands on his ears, close to hyperventilating. "He wouldn't do that, no, no no..." He just shook in his spot, not even thinking about the fact that Gerard was right next to him. His eyes kept twitching, as if trying to close tighter. He continuously mumbled incoherent words to himself, trying to get to voices to leave him alone. 

Gerard immediately kneeled next to Frank, a concerned expression on his face. All he did was gently rub Frank's back and let him ride out the psychotic episode, not really sure of how else to help him. He hadn’t been taking his medicine, he must have known this was coming. Which seemed pretty rude of him to think, but still…

A while later, Frank's mumbling and muttering stopped, and he took his hands off his ears. He looked to Gerard, eyes wide. "W-what...? Why didn't you leave...?" His eyes watered up. "You wouldn't... You wouldn't hurt me... I don't think..." 

Gerard smiled gently. "I won't hurt you..." He carefully continued to rub Frank's back. "Do you want to go back to your room? I'll stay as long as you need..." 

"No... I… I don't want to go anywhere..." He hugged his knees, trying to calm down. "I want to stay here... Just... For a little bit..." He looked at Gerard, a very sad look on his face. 

Gerard nodded and sat down on the floor beside him. "Alright. I'll be right here." He couldn't imagine how Frank must be feeling right now... He wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him close, but not before taking off his lab coat and draping it over his patient. 

Frank just sat there with Gerard for a while before speaking up again. "Dr. Way...? What if the medicine doesn't work?" 

Gerard looked at the other. "Then we'll try to find a medicine that works for you. But we can't know if it works if you keep refusing it, y'know?" He tilted his head slightly. 

Frank just sighed, staring at his feet. He didn't have shoes on. He had been sneaking, and shoes made noise. He wiggled his toes, and leaned his head back, resting it against the cupboard. "I want it to stop, Gee..." He hadn't even realized the shorthand name he called the authority. 

Gerard nodded. "I know, Frankie..." He heaved a heavy sigh. "Can you start taking your medication?" He wringed his hands together nervously. 

Frank kept looking up at the ceiling. He sighed before looking over at Gerard. "Do I have to...?" 

Gerard pursed his lips. "I think it would help a lot with you getting better." He looked at the other, sympathy heavy in his eyes. 

The smaller man sighed again. "I don't like medicine..." He looked around, trying to think of something else. "Would something else work?" He thought for a moment before smirking, looking at Gerard. "One on one therapy with you, maybe?" He winked, and grinned wide. 

Gerard blinked, not catching the innuendo. "If you need, I offer private therapy sessions on Wednesdays at 14 and at 18." He shifted a bit. "I'm not sure how effective that would be, though. 

Frank all but climbed up on Gerard. "Yeah? You got a spot open for me?" Frank seemed to flirt when he wasn't thinking, and this happened to be one of those times. 

Gerard noticed the other getting closer. Was he cold? He cocked a brow. "I don't have any sessions scheduled this week, so yes, I do." He smiled warmly. 

Frank's face was awfully close to Gerard's. His eyes were half lidded, and he smiled cheekily, but sexily. He leaned forward to close the gap between their lips, but ended up losing his balance and falling into Gerard's lap. He quickly moved away, face bright red. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" 

When the other leaned in for a kiss, Gerard quickly caught on to what was happening, and leaned back. He stared at Frank in shock for a second before shaking it off quickly. "It's quite alright. I'm sorry if I made it seem like that's what I wanted from you..." He shifted, head down in guilt, almost like a puppy. 

Frank quickly stood. "Um... Goodnight!" He ran off, presumably back to his room. He hid under his covers for the next few hours, very embarrassed. 

Gee sighed heavily and left to clock out, heading home in exhaustion. He was so glad his hours could be so flexible. 

The next day, around 14, Gerard went into the day room to call Frank into his office. His face was just as gentle and careful as ever. 

Frank almost didn't get up, but a few orderlies were standing by. He stood, but shuffled very slowly, following Gerard to his office. "I-I'm sorry, Dr. Way..." he mumbled. 

Gerard shut the door behind Frank and shook his head with a chuckle. "It's fine. It was quite flattering." He sat at his desk across from his patient and smiled. "You said you needed a therapy session, yes?" Gee still hadn't caught on that the whole conversation was an innuendo. 

Frank's face flushed. "I was… I... Well... You see, sir, I…" He was at a loss for words. "I was… Under the impression that you'd... Um... Want me here... But under different... Circumstances..." He wouldn't look up from his feet, but his face was pure red, like a ripe tomato. 

Gerard blinked, staring for a bit before he caught on. "..Oh." He cleared his throat, embarrassed. "Alright well, if you, er..." He paused, expression softening. "If you need anything... I'm here." Despite being red to the ears, Gerard flashed a grin to Frank. 

Frank looked up at Gerard for a moment, nodded, and left the room. He was down the hall in a split two seconds, leaning against the wall and sighing. "I can’t believe I did that..." Gerard went through his therapy sessions with his other patients, and an hour later, approached Frank. "Uh... Hi." He waved shyly, smiling to the other. 

Frank looked down. He refused to look at Gerard until he felt less embarrassed. "Hi..." 

Gerard smiled and sat beside the other. "How're you feeling..?" He gently stroked the other's shoulder.

The smaller man shrugged. "I don't know. Okay, I guess." He didn't want to tell his doctor how embarrassed he was. 

Gerard nodded. "If you're uncomfortable with me, I can transfer your file and get you a new doctor... If you want." 

The small brunette quickly looked up at Gerard. "No!" His eyes were wide. "Please, don't transfer me..." His face was full of worry. 

Gerard nodded silently. "Alright. I just don't want you to be uncomfortable..." He stroked Frank's back. 

Frank sighed. "I'm sorry. I just... I got this feeling that's what you wanted..." 

Gerard shook his head. "No it's okay..! Don't worry about it, okay? Mistakes happen." He smiled warmly. 

Frank looked away from Gerard again. "So… You wouldn't want it?" He felt that's how Gerard meant what he said. 

Gerard stiffened up, and looked down. "Well, I--…" He glanced down the hall in either direction before speaking. "I wouldn't say that exactly..." 

Frank nodded a bit, and he spoke softly, "Okay, well, um..." He turned to leave. "I'm going to go, then..." 

Before he realized what he was doing, Gerard reached out, weakly grabbing Frank's sleeve. 

Frank turned to Gerard, and glanced at his sleeve, confused. "D-Dr. Way?" He raised an eyebrow, wondering what the other was doing. 

Gerard froze, and let go, clambering to his feet and clearing his throat. "..I'm sorry, I just--" He shuffled his feet and shoved his hands into his pockets. 

"No, no... It's... It's okay..." Frank smiled a bit. "It's okay," he reassured the other. His smile grew a bit. 

Gerard smiled in return and ruffled Frank's hair. "Be good today. I got to head home..." He had been working nearly 27 hours now and he wasn't sure how much longer he could function- and he was sure it was visible in his features. His work had been taking a huge toll on him lately... 

Frank yawned a bit, tired, but not as exhausted as Gerard. He shrugged. "We'll see." He smirked a bit, then headed to his room. 

Gerard laughed softly. "Of course." He gathered up his things and clocked out. 

Frank actually slept through most of the night, surprisingly. The next morning, he woke up when the nurses told him to, but went straight back to sleep as soon as they left him alone. He curled up in his blankets, hugging his pillow. 

Gerard showed up early the next morning, taking the day shift. He awoke the patients in the different wards before stopping at Frank's door. He knocked before coming in, as always. "Frank? Time to wake up?" 

Frank mumbled, just turning over and pulling the blanket over his head. 

Gee chuckled and walked in. "Fraaank. Wake uuuuuuuup…" He drawled, gently tapped the other's shoulder. 

Frank smacked his hand away, pulling the covers tighter. "Leave me alone." He curled into a ball and sighed softly into his pillow. 

Gerard laughed softly and shook Frank, trying not to be too rough. "C'mon, we're doing music time in the day room and I know you don't want to miss out." 

Frank almost jolted out of bed. "I can play guitar, right?" He slipped his house shoes on, and smiled wide at Gerard. 

Gerard smiled wide. "I brought one in just for you." He shifted and began to lead the other to the day room. 

He followed Gerard happily, muttering something to himself about loving music time. He giggled a bit as they entered the day room, rushing to the guitar in the corner. He picked it up and smiled gently, caressing the neck. He sat down and strummed softly, tuning it, smiling all the while. 

Gerard grinned, content with himself. The music time at the hospital was pretty laidback about what instruments were given to the patients, so long as they were watched very, _very_ closely. Gerard stood beside Frank, just grinning and watching how happy Frank was. 

After a while, Frank chuckled, almost evilly, to himself. He had been playing for a bit, but the voices had gotten to him, and his surroundings were practically molded together. Gerard wasn't his doctor, he was some evil flying monkey, much like the ones from The Wizard of Oz. He picked the guitar up by the neck and slammed it on Gerard, eyes narrowed, mouth quirked up. His eyes were glossy, as if he couldn’t actually see what he was doing. 

Immediately, Frank was restrained, the guitar confiscated, as other patients were taken out of the room. Gerard was bloody to say the least, and it looked like he'd lost a tooth. He shook, crying as the other staff rushed him out to get him medical attention. 


	4. In Which Things Are Reconciled

It wasn't until a few days after the incident that Frank realized what had actually happened, when the nurses explained it to him, and his eyes grew wide. He screamed for Gerard, wanting to apologize, and he would have gotten up to go look for him if he wasn't restrained to the bed he was in. This wasn't his room. He began to cry, softly at first. "Gee, I'm sorry..." He muttered, repeatedly. He wished he could reverse time, fix this. He hated himself. He hated who he was, what he did, and what a total fuck up he had become. 

Gerard didn't return to work for the next three weeks. A young, straight-out-of-college girl took his place in his absence. Some patients had started a rumor that he had quit. 

When Gerard _did_ return, he was quiet. He stayed in his station, never looking up from his paperwork or doing anything else unless he was told. 

Frank wasn't restrained anymore, but he was under strict observation. He wasn't allowed to leave his room, food was brought to him at meal time, and doctors brought anything they needed with them to check up on him. He wasn't even allowed any phone time. He sighed to himself, wondering if Gerard was okay. 

It wasn't but a few days after Gerard's return that he'd been sent to Frank's room to do an evaluation. Of course, he was apprehensive, trying to slide the job over to Keegan. But he never had that great of luck. 

The doctor stepped into his patient's room nervously, trying to conceal his shaking. "Frank..?" 

The patient quickly looked up, having been closely examining his fingernails. "Gerard!" He threw his covers off and stood, before realizing how upset the other must be. He stopped, and looked down at the floor, shuffling his feet a bit. "I... I'm sorry... I don't... I don't, um..." There wasn't any way he could apologize without it sounding like an excuse. 

Gerard shook his head, his voice not having the warmth to it anymore. "Outbursts are to be expected. Let's just do this evaluation, yeah?" He forced a smile. 

Frank just nodded, closing his eyes and biting his lip. He watched his feet, shuffling. He knew Gerard was talking about other patients, and Frank didn’t want Gerard to lump him in with them. He wanted to be special to Gerard. He had really messed that up. He glanced at Gerard through his fringe and sighed softly. "Um, yeah. Okay." He looked back down, and once again refused to look at the other. 

Gerard monotonously asked the routine questions, trying to hide his flinch whenever Frank shifted. He didn't know how to read when the other was hearing the voices again, and that's what scared him the most. 

Frank answered the question without Gerard having to ask. "I hear them, normally in the early morning hours now. At around 3am, I think." He shuffled his feet a bit more. "They haven't, um... Been violent, though..." 

Gerard nodded and wrote down all the information. "…Here." He handed the other a small package of powdered doughnuts, before quickly shuffling out of the room, as if in fear. Frank took the doughnuts, set them on his nightstand, and laid in his bed. He sighed, and tried to stay calm. But, alas, he ended up crying. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gerard didn't move from his spot in his station for as long as he could help it. For the first time in weeks, Gerard left as soon as his shift was over, not taking any overtime. 

Within the next few days, the administrators let Frank go back to his normal room, and his normal routine, although they did keep an eye on him, just not as strict. Frank was wandering the halls again, but he wouldn't cause any trouble if he could help it, and every time he saw Gerard, he turned tail and ran. 

After a few days of hopeless avoidance (though he still left a snack on Frank's shelf every night) Gerard huffed when he saw which patient he'd be working one-on-one with that day- Frank. Of course, he shouldn't be surprised. One can only avoid someone for so long in a psychiatric institution. Gerard took his clipboard and went to his patient's room to wake him up for the day. 

Frank was already awake, having been so since 3. He was sitting up in his bed, but didn’t look like he had moved at all. He looked at Gerard when he car in. "Morning. If you're here to ask if they came back, yeah. Why I'm awake." His eyes looked anywhere but at the doctor. 

Gerard shook his head. "No, I'm your ‘nurse’ today." He shove his free hand into his pocket and shuffled. "I, uh..." He glanced to the side uncomfortably. "I shouldn't have avoided you. It was unprofessional of me..." 

Frank shook his head. "No, it's okay. I understand." He glanced at Gerard. "They said I hit you with the guitar. Why would they assign you to me?" 

Gerard blinked. "I'm not sure, myself…" He shifted before hearing the last call for breakfast. "C'mon, I got to get you to the cafeteria." Gee gave a crooked smirk. It wasn't the fake smile anymore, but wasn't quite his warm, openhearted grin. It was progress. 

Frank nodded, slipping on his sweater. "What's for breakfast today? Do you know?" He smiled just a little bit, and followed Gerard to the cafeteria. 

Gerard thought for a moment. "Toast, eggs, and bacon, I think. The alternate meal's a PBJ and an apple with toast." He shrugged as he brought Frank to the cafeteria line. 

Frank followed the line, getting his food. He opted for the PB&J, considering the other option had bacon, and smiled a bit. He loved those sandwiches. Not as much as grilled cheese, though. He followed Gerard to a table and sat down, grabbing an orange juice before doing so. 

Gerard stood along the wall with the other staff members, and sighed softly. He stretched and watched the cafeteria of patients. Senior ward over in the corner, adolescent boy and girls in the middle, children around the edge, and young adults- the ward Frank was in- in the opposite corner. 

Frank sat by himself, to the most of his ability, as he ate his sandwich. When he was finished, he stood and went over to Gerard. "Do I need to do anything else today, sir...?" He scuffed his feet on the floor as he spoke. 

Gerard blinked and thought for a moment. "You have therapy today, and outdoor time. I'll have to check your schedule for anything else. Why?" He tilted his head curiously. Since he'd left, his hair was now a bit shorter, and bright red. 

As opposed to Gerard, Frank's hair had stayed the same length, it had just gotten a bit greasier. He nodded. "Do I have therapy with you, or...?" 

Gerard nodded and looked to the other's eyes. "Mhm. And group therapy. Keegan's leading it today." He shuffled before realizing it was time to lead the patients out of the cafeteria. 

Frank followed Gerard once again, keeping his distance. Normally, he'd keep up right behind him, sometimes having a hand on his arm, almost affectionately. He bit his lip as they entered Gerard's office. 

Gerard shut the door, noting the tech standing suspiciously close to the office door, as if not trusting Frank to be alone with Gerard. The doctor sighed and sat at his desk. "How are you feeling today, Frank..?" 

"I guess I feel okay..." He sat in the chair in front of Gerard's desk. "I think I'd feel better if there weren't so many people staring at me. But that's been going on for a while, so I don't think it's going anywhere." He sighed a bit. 

Gerard nodded silently. "Alright... Are you feeling like hurting yourself?" He hesitated before asking the next routine question. "Or others...?" 

Frank shook his head, speaking quietly, "Not really. I just feel like sleeping." He pulled his feet up onto the chair, hugging his knees. 

Gerard listened intently, and nodded in acknowledgement. "Are you feeling depressed?" He inquired, with a tilt of the head. 

Frank shrugged. "I don’t know if that's what this is." He buried his head in his knees. "I just... I want to sleep. I want everything to go away and leave me alone so I can sleep through the rest of my life." 

Gerard nodded. "I understand." He looked through his papers. "Do you want to talk about that feeling?" He put his full attention on Frank. 

"I don't really want to talk to you about that." He looked up at Gerard. "I want to talk about what happened..." His eyes were small and sad. 

Gerard tensed up, but nodded. He knew he couldn't deny a patient the right to talk about what they wanted. "..Alright. We can talk about that." 

The patient sighed, "I don't want to talk to you as your patient, though. I want to talk to you as _Frank_. I... I kind of considered you a friend, Gerard..." He looked away once again, but continuously glanced at the other. 

Gerard nodded. "I saw you as a friend too..." His voice was weak, a little shaky. Frank shifted, putting his feet off the chair. He stood, slowly. "Can I... Move closer?" He watched the other carefully. "I'll stay here, if you want me to..." 

Gerard watched the other warily, but shrugged. "Move as close as you need to." He rubbed his hands nervously on his scrub pants. 

Frank went to sit on Gerard's desk. "I... I didn't... I didn't know what I was doing, you weren't... You. I didn't see _you_ , I saw some monster and I... I just..." He sighed again. He was doing a lot of that lately. He didn't know how to explain himself. 

Gerard shook his head. "I know... I know. It was my fault. You don't have to explain yourself." He ran his fingers through his hair. 

Frank shook his head. "No, Gee..." He corrected himself, feeling like he would upset the other. "Dr. Way... I'm sorry. It's not your fault, I... They said it was like a... A psychotic break? I think that's what they told me." He looked into Gerard's eyes. "I'm sorry." 

Gerard nodded. "I know..." He broke the gaze where their eyes met and sighed. "I'm sorry too." 

Frank quickly grabbed the back of Gerard's head, and his set his other hand on his cheek, pulling his face up and forward. He leaned forward and kissed him, softly, but with enough passion that it wasn't _soft_.

Gerard jumped, startled, but didn't say or do anything. It took him a moment before he returned the kiss, gently. 

When Frank realized that Gerard was kissing him back, he pushed closer, deepening the kiss a bit. When he pulled away, his face was red and he was just a little short of breath. 

Gerard kept his eyes down after the contact was broken. He couldn't believe himself- kissing a patient? What the fuck kind of a doctor was he?! His mind raced as he kept his head down. 

Frank smiled softly. "Gee...?" He liked the kiss, and he was wondering why the other wasn't acting the same as him – giddy. 

Gerard looked at the other, and smiled softly. "I'm sorry, I just- Shocked, is all." His smile was genuine. He couldn't help but forget about professional boundaries when he saw Frank smile like that... 

Frank kept smiling. "Are, um... We okay?" He bit his lip, missing his lip ring. They had made him take it out when he was admitted, and he was sure it had already healed up. "I just... I want us to be okay." 

Gerard paused before nodded. "..Yeah, we're okay." He smiled and nodded again. "Aa- I forgot to give this to you yesterday..." He handed the other a vending machine bag of cheez-its. 

Frank took the bag and opened it. "Thank you." He calmly ate a few as he spoke. "I'm taking my medicine..." 

Gerard nodded and smiled. "That's good. I'm proud of you." He ran his hand through his hair. 

"It's been making me better, but I still get little bursts of... Of _nothing_." He shrugged. "That's what the nurses say it is. Nothing." He rolled his shoulders back, and let his head fall back with them, his hair falling out of his face. "They don't say it _to_ me, but I hear them outside my room." 

Gerard listened intently. "Well it's normal that you're still having episodes." He stood and walked around his desk. "We can have another therapy session later if you need. You're going to be late to group." 

Frank nodded, standing. "Okay. Are you coming with me, or...?" He watched the other, heading towards the door. 

Gerard let the other leave first so that he could lock his office door. "I'm not leading group today, and I have private therapy in a different ward. I'll be back before group is over, though." 

Frank headed towards his group therapy room and nodded. "Okay. I'll... See you later, then?" 

Gerard nodded with a grin. "Yeah." He walked the other to the group room and winked at him before unlocking the double doors to the adolescent girls ward. 

Frank blushed as he walked into the group room. He went through his session as he was supposed to, trying not to cause Gerard any trouble by talking about him. 

Gerard went through his sessions mostly uneventfully. He was waiting out in the hall when group was over. "Hey. How was group?" He smiled to Frank warmly, but almost nervously- as if he was afraid Frank had talked about what happened. 

"It was okay. Keegan was happy that I talked, even if it was just about my old band..." He smiled a bit, wanting more than anything to grab Gerard's hand. He didn't, though. He knew it'd cost Gerard more than it would cost him. He settled for walking next to him. 

Gerard nodded and listened to the other. He pulled his hand out of his pocket to unlock his office door, exposing a deep red bite mark on his hand. 

Frank quickly grabbed his hand, examining the mark. "What the fuck? Gee, what happened?" 

Gerard blinked and shook his head nonchalantly. "I had to tell a patient they wouldn't be dismissed like expected, and they had an episode. I'm fine, Frankie." He smiled. 

Frank just leaned down and kissed the mark very softly. "I'm sorry, Gee..." He looked up at the other, smiling just a bit. 

Gerard froze up at the kiss, looking around to make sure no one had been around to see. "It's fine, really." He returned to opening the door, and letting Frank in. 

Frank went in, and when the door was shut behind them, he turned to Gerard. "Are you okay..?" 

Gerard nodded with a smile. "I'm fine, really. I chose this job, I knew stuff like this would happen." He went to his desk and pulled out a first aide kit, quickly disinfecting the bite mark. 

Frank just sat and watched, not knowing how to help. He decided to try and change the subject. "Keegan liked hearing about my band." 

Gerard looked up at Frank with a smile, happy to hear about what Frank wanted to tell him. "Really? That's good." 

"Yeah, no one knew I was in any bands." He chuckled. "Like, damn, I'm not so messed up no one wants to jam with me…" Frank knew that was an ill-tasted joke. 

Gerard laughed softly and put the aide kit away. "I can easily see you being in a band." 

"Yeah?" He smiled. "We were good, too." He chuckled a bit. "The drummer kept getting angry because we rejected this bassist... I think his name was Mikey, or something." 

Gerard smiled and sat at his desk. "My brother's a bassist named Mikey. Small world, huh?" He chuckled. 

"Yeah? I don't know what his last name was." He glanced at the clock. "Maybe it's the same Mikey?" 

Gerard shrugged and leaned back. "I can ask him. What was the band's name?" 

"Pencey Prep." He giggled. "Sounds like a high school, huh?" 

Gerard laughed softly. "I'll ask him about it tonight." He shuffled through his paperwork. "Have you been in any other bands?" 

"Uh... Before I came here, I started this punk rock screamo-esque band..." He shuffled before sitting in the chair he was in earlier. 

Gerard leaned back in his chair. "That's cool. What's it called?" Every time Frank spoke, Gerard listened as if it was the most interesting thing he'd ever heard. 

"I haven't thought of a name yet." He shrugged. "I'm thinking something to do with leather." 

Gerard thought for a moment before looking at the other lazily. "Leather Mouth?" He shrugged, the suggestion being a semi-joke. 

Frank grinned wide. "That sounds awesome!" He curled up in the chair, continuing his smile. "So, um... Tell me about _you_..."

Gerard blinked and shrugged. "Uh... I'm not much of a musician like you. I mean, I can only kind of play guitar." He chuckled. "I'm more of a visual arts person. I make comics." 

"Yeah? What kind?" He played with the pens on Gerard's desk. "Can you draw me something sometime?" 

"Superheroes, sci-fi, that kind of thing." Gerard laughed. "Yeah, I will." He reread the file in front of him again. "Hey, Frankie..?" 

"Yeah, Gee?" He smiled, grabbing a pen and writing on his arm. 

Gerard took the pen, and shook his head, signaling he wasn't allowed to write on himself. "When you get out... Will you keep taking your medication...?" 

"I should, right? I don't know." He shrugged, and smeared the small bit of ink he did get on his skin. "Why?" 

Gerard paused and shifted. "Well... When you get out... we can't get in trouble for being personal with each other." He glanced nervously up at the other sitting across from him. 

Frank stopped, and looked up at Gerard, an eyebrow raised. "Gerard Way, are you going to ask me on a date?" He giggled just a bit. "When I get out, that is." 

The doctor tensed up, red in the face. "I-I didn't say that...!" He shifted and glanced up at him. "...Maybe." 

Frank giggled some more, standing, only to move to sit on Gerard's desk. "Sounds like fun. Can't wait." 

Gerard nodded, calming down. He was about to speak when a nurse knocked, and started to come into the office. "Doctor Way?" 

Frank stood. "Have fun with your doctor-ly stuff." He smiled, and left the room. 

Gerard lead the other out of his office, leaving him in the care of a tech to take him to lunch while he left to go take care of another patient. Something about an "emotional breakdown".

Frank went and ate, hating the tech. He was snobby and rude. But he dealt with it, for Gerard's sake. 

When lunch was over, Gerard still hadn't returned. The light in his office was on, but the door was locked, meaning he was in a session. Today was becoming immensely busy for him. 

Frank escaped the mean tech, going and sitting outside Gerard's office door. He knew he shouldn't, but he just couldn't stand the tech anymore. He sighed. 

Gerard didn't leave his office for quite some time, carefully escorting the young female patient out. He spotted Frank, but it didn't seem she did. He made a signal as if he'd be right back, and lead the crying girl back to her ward. 

Frank waited very patiently for Gerard's return. He sat quietly, knees pulled up to his chin. He sang a song very softly to himself to pass the time. 

The doctor returned, sighing heavily. "Hey... Sorry I was gone so long..." He gave a tired smile. 

Frank shook his head, big smile on his head. "No, it's no big deal... I entertained myself." 

Gerard nodded and opened the door, letting the other into his office. "How was the technician?" He inquired, sitting in his office chair. 

Frank groaned. "Ugh, he was an _ass_. Little fucker told me I was stupid." He shook his head, almost angrily. "Nah, man. Not okay." 

Gerard frowned heavily. "He what?" He was _not_ happy. "Do they usually do that? The staff is usually on their best behavior around me..." 

"Yeah, because you're, like, their boss." He sighed. "They don't usually. It was just that kid." 

Gerard pinched the bridge of his nose. "Tell me if something like that happens again, alright? I'll have a word with him." 

Frank nodded. "I ditched him, so it's okay. Don't think he was planning on looking for me, though. He was reading a magazine or something." He shrugged. 

Gerard nodded and heaved a sigh. "I'm sorry..." He looked to the other sympathetically. 

He shrugged. "No big deal." He scratched the back of his head. 

Gerard nodded, deciding against arguing with Frank. The tech would get in trouble, though. "Do you mind if I do some work while we talk, or...?" His voice trailed off, eyes dropping to the stack of files on his desk. 

Frank nodded. "Go ahead. I'll even sit ere quietly while you work, that's okay." He smiled, sticking to his word and staying quiet. 

Gerard went to work, shifting a bit. "This work makes me want to rip my own hair out..." He chuckled softly, not looking up to the other. 

"I'd offer to help, but I'm pretty sure that's waaay against the rules..." Frank giggled. 

Gerard chuckled and nodded. "Yeah. Jus.t... Talk to me about anything. Keep me level headed." He looked up at the other with a smile before putting his attention back on his case files. 

Frank sat and talked to Gerard, about literally anything that came to mind. He stayed there for as long as Gerard needed him to, smiling all the while. 

Gerard was working rather quickly, listening to the other's stories. He wasn't sure how much time had passed before a patient came into his office, near tears and shaking. Gerard looked up and frowned. "Frank, can you step outside for a moment?" It was obvious he was genuinely concerned for this patient- as he was for all of his patients. 

Frank nodded, heading out the door, shutting it behind him. Frank wondered if Gerard treated all of his patients the same way he treated him. He wondered if he flirted with his other patients. Or if he had kissed any others. 

It didn't take long for Gerard to calm the patient down, and he left for a moment to walk him back to his room before returning to Frank at his office. He frowned slightly. "Is something wrong..?" 

Frank shook his head. "It's nothing, Gee." He forced a smile and followed Gerard into the office. 

Gerard quirked a brow. "..Are you sure?" He wanted to make sure the other was happy. 

"I was just thinking, is all..." He sat back in the chair he was in previously. "Have any other patients... Flirted with you? Have they ever tried to kiss you...?" He looked down, and quietly mumbled, "Have you ever kissed them back...?" 

Gerard blinked in surprise, before rubbing the back of his neck. "Aah... I've had patients in the past flirt with me to try to get out of here, and some have had crushes on me, but it's never been reciprocated, no." He leaned down and kissed Frank's cheek. "You have nothing to worry about." 

Frank blushed. "Yeah...?" He smiled a bit, watching Gerard. "I was a little worried." 

Gerard smiled. "No reason to be." He ruffled Frank's hair affectionately. "I think art time is tonight after dinner. Do you want to go?" 

"You're an artist, right? Will you paint with me?" His smile just grew. "That'd be fun!" 

Gerard smiled and nodded. "Sure." He ran his fingers through his hair. "Yeah, it would...!" 

Frank's smile grew even more, until it was ear to ear. He set a hand on Gerard's cheek, and leaned forward, kissing the other cheek. 

Gerard turned bright red, and smiled, hiding his face in his hands bashfully. He whined softly in embarrassment. Very professional. 

Frank giggled, higher in pitch than normal. "Oh my god, that was so cute." He kissed Gerard's cheek again and again, loving his reaction. 

Gerard giggled in response, curling in on himself a bit, whining softly. 

Frank kissed Gerard on the lips. He pushed himself forward, moving up and over the desk, so he could sit in Gerard's lap, all the while not breaking the kiss. He smiled into it, giggling just a tad. 

Gerard returned the kiss eagerly, his arms rubbing up and down Frank's arms gingerly. He was smiling as well. When he finally pulled away, he smiled and looked down, embarrassed. "You're too good..." 

"What do you mean?" Frank kissed Gerard's forehead. "I'm a good kisser?" 

Gee laughed softly. "In general." He rested his head on Frank's shoulder, holding him affectionately. 

Frank just giggled, curling into the other. He smiled softly to himself, loving the thought that he was being held. 

Gerard held the other and sighed softly. "I'm sorry you have to keep this a secret..." 

Frank shook his head. "It okay. The moment I'm discharged, I'm going to be all over you." 

Gerard smiled softly and buried his face into Frank's hair. "I can't wait…"

"Yeah, me either." He kissed Gerard's cheek. "You're a cutie pie." He stood when he heard footsteps approaching Gerard's office. He went and sat at the chair across from the desk once again, just in time for a nurse to come and open the door. "Dr. Way, sir, the director wants to speak with you..." 

Gerard frowned slightly. Had they been found out? "Alright..." He cast a glance in Frank's direction, before moving to lead him out of his office. His hands were a bit shaky. 

Frank whispered to the other, "You'll be fine, Gee... Just relax." He smiled softly before leaving, heading to his room. The nurse directed Gerard towards the director's office. He talked the whole way there, about literally nothing. 

Gerard pretended to listen, a kind smile on his face as they walked to the director's office. 


	5. Chapter 5

When they finally made it to the office, he swallowed the lump in his throat and knocked before walking in. 

The director smiled, and stood from her desk, extending a hand. "Hello, Gerard. I hope you remember me." 

Gerard smiled softly and nodded, shaking her hand. "Yes, ma'am, I do..." He shuffled a bit, unsure if he should sit or stay standing. 

"Please, sit." She reassured him, smiling as she sat back down. "I just wanted to talk to you about a few things, if that's alright." She set her hands on her desk, lacing her fingers, very businesslike. 

Gerard nodded, sitting across from her and crossing his legs. "Alright, sure." He met her eyes, but couldn't hold eye contact for very long. 

She laughed a bit. "Oh, sweetheart, don't be worried. I'm just going to say a few words and you can be on your way." She smiled at Gerard, and offered him a drink. 

Gerard relaxed quite a bit and nodded with a smile. "Alright, thank you." He shuffled in his seat before accepting the offer. 

The director gave him his drink and fixed her own. "I'd like to speak to you about one of your patients... Frank Iero." 

Gerard looked up at her curiously. "Yes, he calls me in for... Therapy sessions often. What about him?" 

She smiled politely. "Well... It seems he's started to behave much better. He seems very stable, and I don't think there's anything else we can do for him here," she trailed off for a moment, before taking a sip of her drink and continuing, "I think he should be sent home, don't you?" 

Gerard blinked, processing what had just been said to him before smiling. "I think so, now that he's regularly taking antipsychotics." He sipped his own drink, thinking about it even more. 

The director smiled. "So you think he's fit to go back home, then? Well, good. Go ahead and have him fill out the discharge papers and send him on his way." She paused. "I wanted to talk to you about something else, though." 

Gerard nodded, and finished off his drink before looking up at her, eyebrow raised. "Yes, ma'am?" 

"I've heard some... Disturbing rumors, involving you and patients." She raised her own eyebrow. "Particularly you and Frank. Deny these in words, please." 

Gerard furrowed his brow. "What sort of disturbing rumors?" His stomach knotted up anxiously. 

"I don't want to talk about them, I just want you to verbally deny them, so we can move on, and he can be discharged." She sighed. "I don't care, Gerard, because he's leaving now. Just say nothing happened and you can leave." 

Gerard nodded and shifted. "Well, nothing unprofessional has happened between me and Frank." He smiled softly, but almost painfully. 

"Good. Now go discharge him and make sure he gets home safe." She smiled and went back to work at her desk. 

Gerard nodded and stood. "Yes, ma'am. Thank you." He smiled before walking out. He couldn't contain his grin as he approached Frank. 

Frank saw Gerard and smiled wide. "See? I told you you'd be fine." 

Gee grinned excitedly. "Frankie- you're getting dismissed." He shoved his hands into his pockets. /

"What?" His grin grew. "I can go home? Then... That means..." He had to keep from jumping for joy. 

Gerard nodded with a smile. "I need you to sign some dismissal forms, and then you can leave." He turned to lead the other to his office. 

Frank followed him eagerly. "Thank you so much, Gee." 

Gerard smiled over his shoulder toward Frank. "I'm just glad you can get out of here." As they walked into his office, he raised a brow. "Will you keep taking your medication, though…?"

"I'll try to remember." He smiled. "But you'll probably have to remind me some mornings." He giggled and as Gerard handed him the papers, he signed his initials where he needed to. 

Gerard turned red and nodded, noting that Frank had implied they’d be together in the mornings. Meaning he’d be spending nights with Frank at some point. He took the papers back when needed. "Alright..." He smiled wide. "That's it. You're free to go, Frankie." The doctor leaned in and pecked Frank's forehead quickly. 

Frank practically jumped on the doctor. "Kiss me. You can do it freely now, right?" 

Gerard's eyes widened a bit before he chuckled. "I suppose so." He kissed Frank happily. 

"Will you come meet my mom?" Frank giggled, kissing Gerard softly. He pulled Gerard along behind him as he headed to his room to change and grab his stuff. 

Gerard smiled warmly. "Sure. Let me turn in your forms, okay?" He gestured to the papers before turning to head to the front desk. 

He nodded and packed up his clothes. He waited for Gerard to come back. Gerard clocked out of his shift, before returning to Frank with a smile. "I'm yours for the rest of the day, _and_ tomorrow’s my day off." He smiled warmly. 

"Fun! Let’s go!" He smiled and pulled Gerard towards to exit doors. Gerard followed along, laughing softly. When they left the hospital, Gerard led the other to his own car. "Do you want me to give you a ride home?" 

"Well, I don't know how else I would get home," Frank chuckled. He held Gerard's hand. 

Gerard laughed softly and unlocked his car, letting the other get in the passenger seat. When the car started, Iron Maiden immediately started blasting. Gerard turned to face Frank. "We need to stop and get your prescription, though." 

Frank nodded. "Yeah, sure." He smiled, singing along to the song on the radio. After they had picked up his medication, they headed to Frank's mom's house. He exited the car, grabbing his bag and waiting for Gerard before heading to the door, knocking softly. 

Gerard smiled the whole way to Frank's house, nervous about meeting his mother so soon. He was still sweaty from work and in his scrubs... When Linda opened the door, she grinned wide. "Frankie! I just got the call not 10 minutes ago." She immediately pulled him in for a hug, not quite noticing Gee yet. 

Frank just grinned. "I missed you, mom." He hugged her tightly, and when he pulled away, he motioned to Gerard, introducing him. "Mom, this is Gerard, Gee, this is my mom." 

Linda looked up at the taller man, and smiled softly. "Well, hello there. Did you pick my son up?" She quickly turned to Frank. "I would have come to get you, baby, you don't have to call your friends to come get you _all_ the time, you know." 

Gerard shoved his hands into his pockets nervously, a bit twitchy around the new person. "Aah- I'm Gerard..." He hesitated before speaking again. "…Nice to meet you." His voice was quiet, and bashful. 

Linda smiled and invited the boys in, Frank leading. She shuffled past the boys and into the kitchen. "Frank, sweetie, I'm so sorry about you having to go back there. I hope they took better care of you this time." She went back to what she had been doing before she opened the door -- making lunch. Simple grilled cheese and tomato soup. Frank's favorite. "I knew you'd be coming home, so I went ahead and started cooking. I'm sure that nasty hospital cafeteria food didn't taste good. They offered vegetarian alternatives, yes?" She was quite talkative today, Frank noticed. He figured she was just happy he was home. 

"Yeah, there was a new doctor, actually... He was really nice. He took good care of me while I was there." Frank smiled wide, taking a glance at Gerard. "And yes, mom, there were alternatives." He pulled out a chair, offering it to Gerard, before sitting in one himself. He whispered, "Don't mention you're a doctor there, okay?" 

Gerard just stood awkwardly, clinging to the back of Frank's shirt a bit. When the chair was offered to him, he sat with his legs crossed femininely. He nodded to the other's statement, watching Frank's mother out of the corner of his eye. 

Frank's mom served the both of them. "Are you a veggie lover too, Gerard? I can whip up some sort of meat, if you'd like," she offered. She smiled and cleaned up the mess she had made in the kitchen. Frank just rolled his eyes at his mom. "Mom, you can relax, Gee won't bite." He smirked, looking at the aforementioned friend if his, before whispering again. "Hard." He giggled, and dug in to his sandwich, occasionally dipping it in his soup. 

Gerard got pink, hiding his face in one of his hands. "I'm not very hungry, ma'am, but thank you..." He shyly smiled to Frank's mother. Gerard was tense. First of all, he didn't like new people much, let alone meeting his boyfriend's mom for the first time. 

Frank set a hand on his knee under the table. "Calm down, Gee. She won't bite either," he giggled. 

Linda frowned. "I'm sorry, Gerard. Did I make you uncomfortable?" She sighed. "I do that a lot, recently. And for the record, Frank, I do bite. Just the villains, though." She laughed a bit at her own joke. 

Gerard smiled softly, leg bouncing underneath Frank's hand. "I'm just not... Very social, I suppose." His work personality, whom was very good with all of the patients he met, was a huge contrast from this personality – a shy, awkward, kind of greasy guy. 

Frank nodded, as did Linda. It was obvious he was her son. The two talked mostly amongst themselves until Frank was done eating, and he drug Gerard by the hand up the stairs and down the hall. 

He pulled Gerard into a room that was covered in posters of Iron Maiden, The Misfits, and Morrissey. Three guitars stood on stands in the corner, two electric and one acoustic. Smaller pictures of musicians, mostly two older drummers, adorned the wall by the small twin sized bed in the corner. Frank smiled as he went and laid down. "Mmm, good to be home." 

Gerard grinned and looked around, much more relaxed. He examined the posters and the guitars before crawling into the tiny bed with Frank. "Hello." 

"Hello." Frank chuckled. "You're cute." He smiled, and pulled Gerard close. "This is nice." 

Gerard smiled and buried his face into the crook of Frank's neck, humming softly. "Mhm..." His fingers stroked the others back lazily. 

"I'm sorry about my mom." He closed his eyes and leaned into Gerard's touch. "She can be a bit much sometimes." 

Gerard shook his head a bit. "It's no problem. I just... I'm not very good with socializing..." He chuckled softly, curling closer to Frank, if possible. 

"That's okay. You seemed so open and social at the hospital, though." He shifted, a bit confused. 

Gerard moved a bit, getting more comfy. "Well... I'm comfortable there. I know all the staff and if I get overwhelmed, I can lock myself in my office for a moment…" He looked down, embarrassed. "I'm sorry." 

He shook his head. "No, it's okay." He smiled at Gerard. "No biggie." 

Gee nodded and smiled up at Frank, kissing his chin gently. "Alright..." He hummed softly, rubbing Frank's sides affectionately. "You're so warm..." He mused quietly. 

Frank grinned, and leaned forward to kiss Gerard. "You are too." He pulled Gerard as close as he could and snuggled up to him. 

Gerard returned the kiss and mumbled tiredly. "…I should probably leave soon." He pointed out, yet made no effort to move whatsoever. 

"Why would you leave?" He looked at Gerard curiously. "Don't go..." He smiled, softly. 

Gerard smiled and curled up closer to Frank. "I really should go…" He sighed, burying his face into Frank's chest. It was obvious he wasn't going anywhere. 

Frank just pulled Gerard closer and smiled, closing his eyes and cuddling. Eventually, he fell asleep. It was easily the best sleep he had had in a long while. 

Gerard pulled out his phone behind Frank's back, sending a quick text to Mikey before falling asleep in Frank's arms, in sweaty scrubs and with shoes still on. 

When Frank woke up about an hour and a half later, he noticed Gee was still there. He smiled to himself and kissed the others cheek, before sitting up and trying to pull the other's shoes off without waking him. He covered him with a blanket as he stood, going over to his guitars in the corner, picking one up and strumming quietly. 

Gerard slept heavily and curled up. He was normally a light sleeper, but due to the lack of good sleep since he'd come back to the hospital- he needed this. He woke up an hour and a half later, mumbling softly. 

Frank set his guitar aside and went to Gerard's side. "Hey, Sleeping Beauty." He giggled and brushed Gerard's hair with his fingers. 

Gerard squinted up at Frank in confusion momentarily before rubbing his eyes and giving a sleepy smile. "Mornin'..." 

"You're really cute when you sleep, by the way." He kissed Gerard's forehead. "Like a baby." 

Gerard let out a pouty 'hmph' noise, before leaning up and kissing Frank. He smiled softly, knowing his eyes probably looked more sunken in than usual. 

Frank smiled, almost motherly, which was strange. "You can go back to sleep, if you want." 

Gerard shook his head, humming softly. "Nah, I'm awake now…" He rubbed his eyes again. "Do you have any coffee…?"

Frank nodded. "Yeah. Do you like it black, or do you like cream and sugar?" He stood and head to his door, but waited for Gerard's response. "You can come with me, but you'll more than likely have to face my cheery-ass mother." He laughed to himself. 

Gerard sat up and thought it over for a moment. "...I'll come. And I take it black." He stood, stretched, and followed the other closely. 

The smaller brunette led Gerard down the steps and into the kitchen. He turned on the coffee maker and put in a new filter, before pouring coffee beans into a grinder. "I've only got French vanilla, hope that's okay. They're much better fresh, like this." He ground up the beans and poured them into the filter, starting the brew. 

Gerard rested his head on Frank's shoulder, watching him make the coffee. His arms snaked around the other's waist affectionately. 

Frank giggled, allowing the other to hold him. He poured two mugs of coffee, and turned around, to the best of his ability, to face Gerard. "All done." 

Linda poked her head in from around the corner, and had to stifle a gasp. Frank never let people touch him, and there he was, being held by some man she herself had just met. She smiled, though, happy for him, and returned to the living room quietly. 

Gerard smiled and back up enough to take the coffee from the other gratefully. "Thanks." He took a sip of the hot drink and smiled. "S'good." 

Frank nodded, and added a bit of sugar to his before taking a sip as well. "I love it." He smiled wide. "Back upstairs?" 

Gerard nodded with a small smile. "Sure." He shifted a bit and took another sip of his coffee. 

The two headed back up, and Frank resumed sitting on his bed, drinking his coffee idly. "So... You're going to be bored at work without me." He smirked. 

Gerard nodded with a smile. "Indeed. But you're getting better and that's what matters." He curled up close to the other on the bed, and kissed his cheek affectionately. 

Frank smiled. "You should stay the night," he offered, smile never faltering. 

Gerard buried his face into the other's neck. "I'd love to, but I need to talk to my brother today, and I have work tomorrow." He looked up at the other with big hazel eyes. "Maybe tomorrow after work you can come stay the night at my place?" 

"I'd love to!" Frank exclaimed, almost too quickly. "I mean, I'd love to see your home, you know?" He chuckled nervously. "Whatcha got to talk to your brother about?" 

Gerard laughed softly and finished his coffee. "I wanted to ask for his opinion on something." He set his cup aside, rubbing Frank's sides affectionately. 

"Okay... Wait, opinion on what?" He raised an eyebrow. "You aren't going to ask him if dating me is okay, are you?" 

Gerard shook his head. "No, not that. Just some art stuff." He leaned up and kissed Frank's cheek. "Don't worry about it." 

Frank smiled. "Okay. I trust you, Gee." He kissed his cheek. "But you'll come back, right? You said you were mine all day..." He giggled. 

Gerard nodded. "Mhm. I just need to go home, talk to Mikey, change, and I'll be back, I promise..." He smiled warmly. 

Frank smiled and stood, and after the two finished their coffee, he led Gerard back downstairs, to the door. Linda said goodbye, and Frank was standing on his front porch, wanting to kiss Gerard goodbye, but knowing he'd be right back. 

As he was leaving, Gerard smiled and placed a gentle kiss on Frank's lips before heading out to his car. His apartment was only a five minute drive away, which was more than convenient. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gerard's brother, Mikey, was sitting on the couch in their apartment. Technically, is was Gerard's apartment, but Mikey crashed here so often that it might as well be shared. He was waiting for his brother's arrival. He had said something about needing to talk, which Mikey was concerned meant him having to go home once in a while, god forbid Donna worried about both of them. He wouldn't leave, but he didn't want Gee having to struggle with big words. He snickered to himself as that thought crossed his mind. 

Gerard walked into the apartment quickly, knowing ahead of time that the door wouldn't be locked. "Hey." He spoke up, not even looking up. He'd already known Mikey would be there. 

”'Sup?" Mikey responded, laying back on the couch, arms above his head, taking up the whole space. He waited for his brother to bring up the "I need to talk to you" spiel. 

Gerard turned on the coffee maker, craving yet another cup of joe. "Do you want any?" He barely glimpsed at the other. 

Mikey weighed the thought of another cup of coffee in his system for a moment. "Yeah, sure, man." He closed his eyes and relaxed. 

Gerard nodded and made Mikey's cup first out of courtesy. "So- I need to talk to you." His voice cracked as he spoke, while the old coffee machine groaned and came to life brewing Mikey's coffee. 

Mikey almost mimicked the coffee maker, but knew the inevitable was coming. "Yeah? What's up?" 

Gerard shifted, as if debating whether he actually should tell Mikey or not. "Um... So you remember how I got all busted up last month by a patient at the hospital..?" He kept his eyes fixated on the coffee machine. 

Mikey almost sighed in relief. He thought back to Gerard coming home with a busted lip, a large cut on his forehead, and three weeks of unadulterated complaining and pain. "Yeah. Why? They act up again?" 

Gerard shook his head. "No, he got out yesterday, but um..." He wringed his hands together nervously, and started making his own cup when Mikey's was finished. "Before he left, we started having these therapy sessions, and, like..." He nearly choked on his words. 

Mikey stood and went to the kitchen. "Did he say something to you, Gee? I'll beat him up if you need me to." He chuckled and grabbed his mug, chugging the hot liquid. 

Gerard tensed up, before confessing everything that had happened between Frank and himself, and that he was about to head back to Frank's house. As he spoke, his voice shook. He'd gotten together with a patient during his hospitalization- he felt disgusting. 

Mikey listened intently. He knew this bothered his brother, and he wanted to make sure he was okay. "Gee, you didn't do anything wrong. First of all, this Frank guy, he started the relationship, not you. So none of this is your fault." He smiled softly at his brother. "Don't beat yourself up." It wasn't for another while until Mikey spoke up again. "What's Frank's last name?" 

Gerard blinked, before remembering Frank mentioning Mikey. "Iero. Frank Iero." He grinned. "Is Pencey Prep that band you auditioned for some time ago?" After finishing off his coffee, Gee yanked off his shirt, heading to his room to change into clean clothes, and not smell so bad without having to shower. When he returned, he was bundled up in a pea coat and scarf, despite the sunny weather outside. 

Mikey groaned. "I knew he sounded familiar. Did they find a good bassist? Man, they were kick ass, I know why they didn't pick me." 

He sighed heavily when Gerard returned. "What the hell are you wearing, G?" 

Gerard cocked a brow. "I wouldn't know, I haven't heard them yet." When Mikey made the comment, he looked down at himself and frowned. "What? I'm having one of my bad days...” He shuffled a bit. 

The younger brother sighed again. "C'mon. If you're going to go hang out with your... Boyfriend? You need to dress right..." He grabbed Gerard's arm and pulled him back towards his room, and into the closet. 

Gerard whined a bit, but didn't pull away. He knew resistance was futile when it came to Mikey meddling in his life- and his wardrobe. "This is fine, though..." 

"G, it’s about 80 degrees outside. You'll burst into flames the moment you walk out the door," Mikey laughed at his own joke and pulled a few choices of t-shirts for his brother. 

Gerard burrowed himself into his scarf and hummed softly. "I think I'm fine with that." On his bad days, Gee liked to hide in his own clothes. Hell, it was a miracle he'd agreed to leave his house today, he thought. 

Mikey sighed. "You'll be okay, G-man." He pulled at Gerard's scarf. "But you need to relax. You're going to hang out with Frank, so why are you hiding?" 

Gerard shrugged and shoved his hands into the pockets of his pea coat. "Nervous, I guess..? I don't know." His face was nearly hidden in his dark colored scarf. 

Mikey nodded. "I get that, I do. But Frank's going to think you're going to shoot up the place if you show up with a big jacket in the middle of summer." He laughed. 

Gerard gave a smile. "Can I still wear a jacket at least?" He couldn't help but notice the vague maternal attitude Mikey seemed to have. 

Mikey shrugged. "Like, a thin hoodie or somethin' would prob'ly be fine." He turned around so Gerard could change, and turned back quickly. "Hm..." He set a hand under his chin, thinking. "Yeah, I guess you look hot. You're my brother so, like, I don't know. Okay. Go get 'im, tiger.” 

Gerard huffed. He was in his black skinny jeans, a tight Misfits tee, and a grey and black striped hoodie, all of which clashed with his bright red hair pretty heavily. "Thanks. Lock the door when you leave." He called the second part over his shoulder, rushing out the door. 

Mikey waved, and sighed as he flopped back on the couch. 

Frank was sitting on his porch steps, chin in his hands, waiting for Gerard to come back. 

Gerard returned quickly and hopped out of his car, grinning when he saw Frank. "I told you I'd be back." 

Frank stood, excited. "Gee!" He smiled wide and ran to hug him. "Gee, you'll never believe it. I feel _great_ , like... Normal, almost!" 

Gerard stumbled back and smiled warmly, hugging the other in return. "That's great! I'm happy for you." He kissed Frank's temple. 

Frank nuzzled into Gerard's chest. "It's thanks to you, you know. I'm sure my mom would be thankful if, you know, she knew..." He chuckled. “But then she’d hate you, ‘cause, you know, doctors…”

Gerard hugged Frank closer. "Well, I'm just glad you're starting to get better..." 


End file.
